CM reviews state’s monsoon preparedness

Kohima, July 4 (MExN): Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio chaired a State level meeting on monsoon preparedness with Cabinet Ministers, Advisors, Chief Secretary, and other senior government officials, at the Secretariat Conference hall on Saturday.

Updates from the DIPR informed that the objective of the meeting was to prepare for any natural calamities or eventuality that may occur with the onset of the monsoon season.

In the meeting, OSD, Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA), Johny Ruangmai gave a briefing on monsoon preparedness with reference to previous year's experiences and how the NSDMA and other line departments responded to the situations. 

Engineer-in-Chief, NPWD, Limatongdang Jamir is said to have presented a detailed status of all the district roads. Jamir said that roads in all the 24 divisions of the state have been getting affected by landslides, mudslides, subsidence etc., with the onset of monsoon.  However, with the active participation and concerted efforts of the department, damaged roads have been connected and restored for traffic in all the districts with the help of machineries, he added. 

To this end, the DIPR reported that the Chief Minister advised the Department for advance placement of funds to the concerned district authorities to enable them to take preventive measures. He also asserted that coordination between District Administration, PWD and DDMA is important in order to address issues during natural calamities.

Stating that many migrant labourers engaged in road construction activities have gone out of the state due to COVID-19 pandemic, Chief Minister Rio said that the concerned road construction agencies should make efforts to bring back skilled labourers and workers following the provisions of the standard operating procedures and resume all stalled works. He also emphasized on training the local workforce in order to overcome the shortage of skilled workers.

According to the DIPR, the Chief Minister suggested that the Urban Development Department and Home Guards & Civil Defense Department conduct joint inspection of roads and make an assessment of works that can be done to take appropriate preventive actions. 

During the meeting, the preparedness of Agri and Allied Departments and the Food and Civil Supplies Department to ensure the availability of essential food items and commodities were also deliberated.

The Chief Minister while expressing overall satisfaction on the preparedness plans made by the Departments, asked for continued efforts so as to further improve the plans and make it more resilient and comprehensive, the DIPR report stated.